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29-04-2014

ARA News

Damascus, Syria− Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad bombed on Monday the industrial city of Ain Tarma in the Eastern Ghouta in Damascus countryside with heavy artillery (stationed on Qasiyoun Mount). The attack claimed lives of at least five civilians.

Ahmad Sabbagh, civil rights activist based in the city of Damascus, told ARA News that the city suffers suffocating blockade imposed by the regime forces, amid continuous clashes between the opposition fighters of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and pro-regime military forces.

“Ain Tarma was known for tanneries that have sprung up on the banks of Barada River, which passes the town where most of the residents benefit from plants spread in the area,” said Sabbagh. “This was before the pro-Assad militias steal the contents of those factories and shell it with artillery and mortars to turn the city into cumulus.”

Ain Tarma is located in the Eastern Ghouta of the international highway between Damascus and Homs. The city overlooks the district of Jobar in Damascus and the Zablatani area.

Notably, the city witnessed since the start of the Syrian crisis peaceful demonstrations like most towns and cities of the Eastern Ghouta. According to the Syrian opposition, the city had been attacked with chemical weapons on August 21, 2013. The UN-led observers confirmed the use of chemical weapons (mainly sarin gas) against civilians in the city.

However, the UN observers did not determine who was responsible for the attack. Meanwhile, in the United States, Europe and many Arab countries blamed the regime for the attack. The regime denied these accusations.

The city of Ain Tarma is considered the first line of defense for many rebels-held cities and towns in the Eastern Ghouta in Damascus countryside as Kafarbatna, Saqba, Zamalka, Maliha, Hammouriyeh and other areas the regime forces try to storm, without making any advance despite shelling and continued clashes.